Contents

History

Early Life

Gretel was born along with her twin brother, Hänsel, on December 27, EC 0 in the LeviantaRoyal Institute as part of Project 'Ma'.[1] After being birthed in vitro by her mother, Meta Salmhofer, Gretel and her brother were placed in laboratory tubes at the Levianta Royal Institute.[2] Celebrated by the people of the Magic Kingdom, their births marked the first year of the new Evillious Calendar. Some time later, they were taken by their mother from the laboratory and hid in Elphegort.[3]

After a year of being hidden by Meta, she carried them to Held's Forest for a stroll. While there, Meta settled them near a tree and left them.[4] Soon after, she and Hänsel were discovered by Eve Moonlit. The witch then took the infants and carried them through the forest as she fled from their mother, prompting the twins to cry. After Eve killed Meta and showed the children to her husband, Adam, the two woodcutters adopted the newly orphaned babies and raised them as their own.[5]

Abandoned

Hänsel and Gretel traveling with their parents through the forest

In EC 013, two lights, fragments of the twin gods Levia and Behemo descended upon the twins and fused with their bodies, making them incomplete copies of the twin gods.[6] In EC 014, Gretel and her brother were led by their parents deep into the forest on a moonlit night.[7] The curious twin asked her mother what fortune they would find on their path and wondered aloud if their destination would have lots of their favorite snacks to eat.[8]

Eventually, Gretel and her brother realized that they would be lost if they continued on the path and were soon after abandoned by their parents to die.[9] Seemingly betrayed, Gretel and her brother concluded their parents were actually a wicked witch and her henchman that had tricked them.[10]

Filling the glass bottle her brother had with moonlight,[11] the two used it to light their path as they wandered.[12] At last, Gretel and Hänsel arrived back home, recognizing it as the "witch's house". With manic expressions, the twins decided to murder the witch, believing they would become happy if she was gone, and their shadows began spawning tendrils. Knocking at the door, Adam and Eve answered and, while they stared in horror, Hänsel and Gretel grabbed their fake parents with their shadows' spectral arms. Gretel then happily implored her "mother" to praise her for defeating the evil witch, laughing.[13]

While Hänsel murdered the "henchman", Gretel shoved Eve into an oven.[14] Watching the "witch" burn to ashes in the oven, they witnessed her body become the embodiment of her Original Sin. Using items located throughout the house,[15] the two split it into seven fragments,[16] scattering the vessels of sin across the world and hoping they would eventually cleansed.[17] Gretel and her brother then enjoyed the confines of the witch's house, sleeping in a chair there for the rest of night before deciding to go out and search for their "real" mother and father.[18]

Following her death, Gretel and her brother reincarnated as the twins Arte and Pollo in the Beelzenian Empire during the turn of the fourth century EC. Losing their parents at a young age, the twins became servants to the Conchita family and became obsessively loyal attendants to Banica Conchita. After finding and keeping the wine glass vessel of sin, the two presented it to their dying master in July of EC 323 as a means to save Banica from her eventual fate of overeating.

Once the Duke forged a contract with the Demon of Gluttony, the two supported "Evil Food Eater Conchita" as she began indulging in increasingly disgusting foods, killing any staff that opposed the feudal lord on her orders. Banica later gave Arte command of her undead horde guarding the Conchita Mansion and the maid freely used the glass to control the dead soldiers for her master. Arte was later killed and devoured by Banica around August of EC 325.

Marlon Assassin

"She isn't Ney. This child is Gretel. The girl otherwise should've been born with the name "Riliane". Because fate was distorted, she had a different appearance and decided to pursue a different life, the poor child."

Forced to retreat, the assassin returned to her mother in Marlon and joined her at Castle Hedgehog while building up their undead forces in preparation for Kyle's retaliation against them. During the ensuing battle, Ney's sanity snapped, causing her to kill Prim before wildly attacking Kyle and completely submitting to the Demon of Gluttony. After being subdued and captured, she was killed by Abyss I.R. at Lioness Castle.

Servant to the Glass

"Foolish child. You are to never be reborn. I have taken your soul from your body. I shall make you the foundation for the Master of the Graveyard."

Afterwards, Gretel's soul was merged with the Glass of Conchita and her memory of her past lives reawakened; the familiar immediately returned to serving the new Demon of Gluttony, Banica, learning about her master's ambition to find the "graveyard" where the technology of the Second Period was located to become the Master of the Graveyard and devour the world of everything. Two weeks later, the two watched Abyss I.R. battled Germaine Avadonia and Yukina Freezis. When Abyss suddenly attempted to use the Marlon Spoon against Riliane, the remorseful "Ney" used the Demon of Gluttony's power to cancel out the Demon of Greed'smagic, saving the princess and leading to the mage's defeat.[19]

Possessing Her Twin

After Irina Clockworker reclaimed the Glass of Conchita and changed her identity to "Julia Abelard", the wealthy aristocrat stored the vessel in her mansion's treasury in Rolled, Lucifenia. In EC 603, Gretel awoke and saw a boy with Hänsel's visage closely examine the glass. Once the boy grabbed the wine glass, the familiar's spirit entered through the arm holding the vessel and traveled up to his brain to possess him, forging a contract between him and Banica. Reading through his memories, Gretel confirmed the adopted Lemy Abelard was a reincarnation of Hänsel and telepathically related that they were alike before the boy passed out.

After he awoke and was lectured by Julia for an hour before she left, the annoyed familiar finally told the still crying child to shut up, saying it was undignified of him. When he inquired who she was, Gretel considered it before introducing herself as "Ney", citing she was another person of him. She then explained her awakening when he took the wine glass to the seven year old boy and that only he could hear her voice, saying she was him and vice-versa. After Lemy expressed his concern over being the only one who could hear her, Ney insisted him having someone to talk to was a positive, asking whether he was lonely not seeing the kids from his orphanage.

As Lemy considered the truth to her words, he asked how she knew and the familiar reiterated she was him and therefore knew him, demanding the boy treat her nicely as a result. When Lemy then fretted over her constantly staying with him, Ney described that she wouldn't talk to him for periods, making him not hearing her around be essentially the same thing. Lemy replied it sounded wrong and Gretel scoffed that he shouldn't nitpick, noting they couldn't be separated and that he touched the glass to begin with. Once the scared child questioned if that meant she was haunting him, the exasperated familiar reiterated that she was him.

Afterward, Gretel watched Lemy live out his daily life as Julia's adopted son, occassionally speaking with him. Sometime after the boy was given the Glass of Conchita as a present for his eighth birthday by Julia, the familiar inquired if he liked his mother while Lemy admired in the glass in his room. He answered he did, listing off that she was kind, pretty, and bought him whatever he wanted. Once he added she was a little scary, Gretel sighed and agreed before suggesting she wasn't as good as she was acting.

When Lemy questioned if she was implying something, Ney denied it, claiming Julia might not have been as nice a person as he thought. Lemy then asked why she'd say that and the familiar speculated she took him in to use him in the future, stating she knew all too well that those people existed. The annoyed boy immediately yelled his mother wasn't like that and Ney offhandedly agreed with him, warning him not to yell or his maid Phoebe would worry.

Presidential Inauguration

While Julia and Lemy at dinner at home on August 17, EC 609, Gretel heard Julia tell Lemy about her presidential innauguration ceremony the next day, noting there would be an after party at the Lucifenian Palace and that his friend Rin Chan was scheduled to sing there. After Lemy attended the innauguration speech in Milanais Square the next day, the familiar noticed the boy head back to the Abelard estate after the ceremony concluded. Noting he wasn't going to greet Julia, Lemy replied he would just wait for her to return home in the evening.

Ney immediately called the boy stupid, reminding him of what his mother said and that he should go change clothes to attend the party. When Lemy brushed it off as just having old men and women he didn't know there, Gretel retorted that he didn't listen to Julia the night before after all, reminding him that his important friend would be singing there. Once the shocked boy changed at the mansion and took a carriage to the palace, Ney remarked that the building used to be called the "Lucifenian Royal Palace" for the royals that lived there.

She then elaborated for the curious Lemy that the place had been converted for social gatherings after Princess Riliane's death during the revolution 110 years ago. When the impressed boy noted she knew a lot, Ney barked that he should know these things too before hurrying him to enter. Once he entered and started wandering in search of the Hall of Mirrors, Gretel told him to turn right at the next fork in the halls and head up until he reached the hall's doors on the left. Once he entered, Lemy reiterated that she knew a lot and asked why it was so detailed.

Before the familiar could answer, Bruno Marlon greeted Lemy. When the boy failed to recall him, Ney quickly reminded him about the Freezis Foundation executive. After the boy salvaged the conversation, he mentally thanked Gretel. While the two talked during Rin Chan's performance, Gretel heard Lemy relate about his encounter with Rin and Fifth Pierrot three years ago. Afterward, she and Lemy listened to Bruno relate about Rin's manager Ton Corpa's shady reputation killing the children he puts to work while leaving no evidence.

Rescue the Diva

Lemy's repeated failure to meet with Rin in the wake of her tours abroad and subsequent retreat into Corpa's mansion due to scandal, Ney suggested that he could try forcing his way into the mansion to see her instead in early October of that year. When the boy refuted that him doing so would be absurd, she said it would be fine since she would be helping him and the boy finally agree. Seeing the Saint Fauro paper's report that the Cirque de Lune would be tented on the grounds of Corpa's mansion before their performance on October 10, Gretel devised a plan to have Lemy disguised as a member of the circus to sneak into the estate grounds and later infiltrate the mansion when everyone was asleep

After the boy disguised himself as a pierrot on October 5, Gretel removed the golden key vessel of sin from Julia's treasury and put it in Lemy's left pocket to help with the infiltration. Lemy then executed Ney's strategy and successfully infiltrated the mansion at 2:00 AM the next morning. Noting the pitch darkness, Ney told Lemy to not use a light and try feelings his way to Rin's room somehow. As Lemy abided and slowly felt his away onward, the disembodied spirit warned him to be careful since him being found out wouldn't be good for his mother. Lemy mentally affirmed he understood before continuing onward.

Gretel then heard the faint sound of crying and questioned if he heard it too. Locating it to be somewhere upstairs, she suggested it was Rin and asked him to find the stairs. After Lemy found his way upstairs and to Rin's room, the spirit listened to the two friends converse through the locked door when the diva revealed Ton kept the key. Ney then mentioned he had an extra key and directed him to Grim the End in his pocket. She then told the shocked boy he could open any door with it and told him to try it.

Once he used the vessel to open the door and Rin revealed Ton had killed the person she lip-synced to and would kill her as well, Gretel watched as Ton Corpa confronted the two as they tried to escape. Noticing Lemy's legs were trembling, Ney mocked him for being intimidated. After the boy failed to intimidate Corpa by claiming to be "Fifth Pierrot", the disembodied spirit inquired if he wanted her to help. When Lemy wondered what he could do, the demonic familiar told him it wasn't anything complicated, reitating he should have hope, courage, and believe he could do it. Gretel then told him to leave it all to her as she took full conetrol of his body, swiftly disarming Corpa of his knife and stabbing in the back with it before relinquishing control.

Defying Conscience

"I told you to shut up, Ney!""Are you and "Ney" in a fight, Lemy?""—No, it's nothing."

After Lemy escaped with Rin to his aunt Mayrana's mansion in Calgaround before being intercepted by Julia and brought back home alone, the familiar watched Julia reveal her position as leader of Père Noël to the boy and coax him into helping her "correct" the world as the criminal organization's assassin, Fifth Pierrot, with the skill he demonstrated killing Ton. As Lemy thought how his mother was gentle and always said right things, Ney interjected that it was only what he thought and that he was simply still afraid of being abandoned and left orphaned again. The boy mentally told her to shut up. Gretel then listened to Julia convince Lemy his smile while killing Corpa was proof his instincts were telling him it was right.

When the red cat mage questioned if him killing Ton was due to "Ney" lending him her power, Gretel admitted "Abyss" was correct and congratulated her on the guess. After Julia told her adopted son to do what he could until she introduced him to the other members of Père Noël, Ney mockingly told Lemy how he had suddenly joined the criminal organization. Lemy yelled that he already told her to shut up and Gretel then silently listened to Julia assign him his first mission to hunt for the traitorous Seventh Magician hiding in Rolled. When the red cat mage recovered Grim the End from her son and inquired if the "ghost" was being naughty taking it, Lemy asked Ney if that was the case and Gretel remained silent.

Following Lemy's death, Hänsel's soul was merged with the glass and the reunited twins continued their service to their demonic master.

World's End

"Oh, that's right. Arte wanted to see you. Make sure to show your face to her before you go.""Arte—""Would it be easier for you to understand if I called her "Ney"?"

After the Third Period's destruction and subsequent merging with the Hellish Yard in EC 998, Gretel and her twin joined Banica at the Conchita Mansion in Gasto, cooking and serving her desired meals in the forms of Arte and Pollo. When the Demon of Gluttony later agreed to the sun god's request of having Allen Avadonia meet with her among other demon contractors, Gretel became anxious to apologize to her half-brother from her Ney incarnation for murdering his beloved Michaela.

After Hänsel brought Allen to Banica and retrieved the Four Mirrors of Lucifenia from Michaela, the servant passed the vessel of sin to Gretel. Later on, the two leaned against the closed doors of the dining hall and listened in on their conversation. When Banica left after telling Allen to see Arte, Hänsel pulled on his sister, telling her to hurry. The nervous Gretel told him to stop, admitting she knew before trailing off.

As they struggled, the doors suddenly opened and the two fell onto the floor, greeted by Allen. "Arte" immediately rose to her feet and dusted off her skirt, silently staring at one another. The girl then noted her current form might have been a bit weird for him and told him to wait. She then transformed into her Ney appearance and related that it would probably be easier for him to talk to her like that.

When Allen said seeing her face was enough for him, the maid expressed her glee he felt that way before trying to make her apology. Giving up shortly after, Gretel sighed that it simply wasn't within her character to do so. Allen then noted that "Ney" was just being shy like always and the maid related how she couldn't remember what her actual personality as Ney was like anymore. She then hesitantly questioned if the former servant was going to see Riliane next.

Once the boy confirmed he was, she told him to give the princess her best wishes. Asked if she wasn't going to see her herself, Gretel related that she needed to stay behind and cook Banica's cuisine since their cook hadn't returned. The servant then said his goodbyes and Ney passed the four mirrors over to him, explaining how they came into possession of them. She then watched the Demon of Pride manifest its miniature form before departing with Allen for Lucifenia.

Legacy

After her soul merged with the Demon of Gluttony, the sun god Sickle contemplated if Gretel's complete subservience to Banica was a result of being copies degrading with each reincarnation and had discarded their forgotten reason for existing in the first place. Centuries later, Nemesis Sudou began hearing the voices of Gretel and her twin, telling her repeatedly how she had been abandoned by her mother, Ma. Gretel's degraded will later manifested as the female servant of Evil's Theater,[20] serving the Master of the Graveyard.[21]

Ma wrote several screenplays involving Hänsel and Gretel and adapted them into films. While watching the films with an intruder to Evil's Theater, Ma questioned if the twins even existed, citing they seemed to be hidden so well by their parents that that there were no recorded documents of them in existence.[22] While reflecting on the "motions" of the Master of the Court, Gammon Octo noted how Hänsel's reincarnation as Lemy was uncharacteristically born without a Gretel counterpart. Gammon also wondered what became of the twins, questioning if they needed to ask the Master of the Hellish Yard to find an answer.[23]

Personality and Traits

As a child, Gretel acted kind and innocent alongside her brother and appeared obedient to their parents.[24] They weren't naive, however, and realized when the forest path the family took would inevitably get them lost.[25] After being abandoned by her mother and father, Gretel became embittered by the event and concluded that Adam and Eve weren't their real parents at all, simply a witch and her henchman that had tricked them.[26]

Gretel could also be extremely devious,[27] murdering Eve with smile on her face, all while mocking her foster parent.[28] Likewise, she and her brother became determined to find their real parents, despite not knowing who they might be.[29] Gretel seemed to usually lean on her brother for support, letting Hänsel lead them along the path ahead of them and often holding his hand.[30] The twin also had a particular affinity for tasty treats.[31]

Skills and Abilities

After being fused with a fragment of Levia-Behemo, Gretel became an imperfect copy of one of the dragon gods. As a result, the young twin's shadow could come to life and manifest in dark, twisted forms, such as arms, hands, or other appendages, and be freely manipulated by her.[32] Gretel also showed some other magical capabilities, splitting the Original Sin into seven pieces and scattering them across the world.[33]

It also allowed Gretel to reincarnate every few centuries, her soul fated to be reborn in an identical body every few centuries, typically with her reincarnated brother as a twin. However, if either of the girl's fated parents had children with someone else before her intended birth, Gretel could instead incarnate as one of those children instead or not incarnate in that particular reincarnation cycle at all.

Character Connections

Meta Salmhofer: Gretel's real mother. Gretel didn't remember Meta, growing up in Eve's care, but she later expressed a wish to find her "real" mother after Adam and Eve were dead. She passed on a fanatic loyalty to Meta to most of her reincarnations, showing this loyalty to all her mother figures and people resembling her.

Eve Moonlit: Gretel's foster mother. Gretel grew up thinking of Eve as her mother, however, she became convinced she was a wicked witch after she and Hänsel were abandoned by her. Delighting in her accomplishment after killing Eve, Gretel later considered her to be a pretentious and troublesome woman, discovering her Original Sin among her ashes.

Adam Moonlit: Gretel's foster father. Gretel grew up thinking of Adam as her father, however she became convinced he was the wicked henchman of a witch after she and Hänsel were abandoned by him and delighted in bringing about his death. She gave him no more consideration after discovering Eve's Original Sin.

Hänsel: Gretel's twin brother. Gretel loved her brother and was always beside him if she could help it, taking comfort from holding his hand and helping him defeat the witch and henchman. She also acted as Hänsel's voice of reason, telling him the truth of what he heard and saw after their foster parents were dead. She stayed with him after Eve's death and would usually be by his side in their reincarnations.

Arte: One of Gretel's reincarnations. Gretel passed on her appearance and soul to Arte's, and with it she passed on her loyalty to anyone resembling Meta, such as Conchita.

Ney Futapie: One of Gretel's reincarnations. Gretel passed on her soul to Ney, and with it she passed on her loyalty to her mother figures, such as Prim.

Female Servant: A remnant of Gretel born from the Glass of Conchita. Made from residual traces of Gretel, the Servant shared her appearance and loyalty to anyone resembling Meta, such as the Master of the Graveyard.

Riliane Lucifen d'Autriche: One of Gretel's intended reincarnations. Due to the disturbance of fate caused by Abyss I.R. and Prim Marlon, Gretel instead reincarnated as Ney Futapie.

Trivia

Conceptualization and Origin

In the original story, Gretel is depicted as a gluttonous child, strengthening her link with the Demon of Gluttony.

Gretel's name is derived from German, meaning "pearl"; it is also a diminutive of the name Margaret.

Gretel's status as a ghoul child may be a reference to the sin of Gluttony and her reincarnation's service to Banica Conchita; ghouls are undead spirits or demons usually depicted as scavengers and human flesh eaters, often associated with graveyards and burial grounds.